Madeline, check the install directions for the range. Most specify that you can not have any wood for a certain distance above the range, but the Viking range I bought was clear that it had a zero clearance ( meaning you could put wood right next to it) on either side. My range is butted up against a laminate countertop on top of a wooden cabinet and never had any problems. If you get a true commercial range, it will likely require some clearance on all sides, but the home versions usually allow it to be installed right next to a cabinet. Good idea of you to check. My brother had a kitchen with a 30 inch cooktop, and wanted to install a 36 inch, fortunately, the guy they hired to make the cutout in the granite countertop was on top of things and pointed out that it would be a fire hazard because the upper cabinets would then be directly above the cooktop ( the existing design had a 30 inch wall cabinet set higher on top of the vent hood, and the cabinets on either side were much lower )

You might try looking for a modular sink, one where the sink unit replaces a section of counter, so the counter just comes up to it on each side, there is no cut out. They don't seem very common here in the states, but the are out there. The link for the murano collection is actually part of a diy granite system, but it seems that it would work for wood as well and the price seems quite reasonable; a couple of hundred dollars. I've not seen it in person, so I don't know about the quality. Some of the major sink players make them as well, more money I'm sure. Blanco makes the Platinum module drop in series; Wave Plus Module and Supreme Module. Kindred makes the KCWD6016R-9 Double Bowl Countertop Kitchen Sink With Drainboard. Elkay makes a D6629-4 Gourmet Lustertone Self-Rim Double Bowl-Double Drainboard Kitchen Sink. I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I found when looking a while ago. I haven't figured out how to add multiple links so I will just include the link for the blanco in the text: http://www.midvalleyplumbing.com/images/Blanco/blanco_module_supreme_l-splash.jpg Another option I've seen, and I can't locate the photo, is to make your own sink module by using a small section of counter out of another material, say marble, corian, whatever, and set the sink into that, then bring the wood up to the edge of that other material. I know it sounds odd, but the picture I saw made it look look rather nice. If I can find the pic I will post.... Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: murano modular sink

Recommendations? Don't do it. If you don't sand out all of the existing scratches very thoroughly before staining, then more pigment will lodge inextricably in the remaining scratches. This will look bad. If you manage to refinish the counter successfully and then start using it as a cutting board, you will soon cut through the stained wood in places. This will also look bad. Even setting food safety aside, a cutting board is just the wrong place for stain.

I'm about to get an edge-grain butcher block to replace the top of my island, too (it's currently stainless, and since our new counter will be stainless I figured I should go w/ something to warm things up a bit). I'm tired of having to wash the myriad of cutting boards we have, too. Basically any hard wood's good. Maple, yes, but I'm looking for something darker. I was considering brazilian cherry (jatoba) although I'm concerned it might be too red looking. It might just depend on the particular batch (for lack of a better word). Also considered pacific madrone which is local but it's very stripy unless you pay a lot more to cherry pick (I'd probably rather have stripes than too red), and I'm also willing to get reclaimed wood if its prior use was food-grade, e.g. wine vat oak which is fun w/ its occasion rose-colored stripe thrown in. Not as hard on janka scale but harder than some. Also would consider mesquite, teak and possibly edge-grain bamboo though it's lighter than I like. Here are some color examples: http://www.endurawood.com/material-options/ Here are color examples (some very different looking though same wood) as well as their janka ratings: http://www.devoswoodworking.com/Wood_Countertops_Samples/WoodsAvailable.htm This is the place that sells cherry-picked madrone. Uber expensive but beautiful beautiful wood (and very hard): http://www.thejoinery.com/about/commercial/counter%20top/index.php A nice example of jatoba (brazilian cherry): http://lumberjocks.com/Straightpiped/blog/11961 HTH!